Snow extends Christmas holidays for many school, university students in Netherlands
Monday was supposed to be the first day of school and university after the Christmas holiday, but many students got to stay home due to the winter weather. Many educational institutions will also remain closed in the coming days because icy roads make it unsafe for students and staff to travel to them.
Students at Utrecht University will not have on-site classes on Tuesday. The university also canceled all scheduled exams. Access to the university is difficult for students and staff as no NS trains were running on Tuesday morning. The regional public transport company U-OV also decided not to start up its bus service until 10:00 a.m., considering it unsafe due to the winter weather.
“Normally, classes and exams continue as usual when a code yellow warning is issued,” Utrecht University rector Wilco Hazeleger told ANP about the icy roads warning the KNMI has in place. But many students and staff rely on public transport to get to the university. “To ensure peace of mind for staff and students, we have decided that there will be no on-site teaching for the entire day, and exams will also be canceled.”
Multiple schools and childcare institutions are also closed. Secondary schools in Goes and Zierikzee, for example, informed students and parents on Tuesday morning that the schools will be closed today and tomorrow, BN De Stem reported.
In an email to parents and students, the Goese Lyceum, the Ostrea Lyceum, the Praktiq pre-vocational secondary school in Goes, and the Pieter Zeeman Lyceum in Zierikzee wrote that the “extreme weather conditions” of this morning are expected to continue tonight and tomorrow. The schools, therefore, decided not to open for two days.
According to RTL Nieuws, schools in the Netherlands can’t just close their door. They are allowed to cancel lessons in the event of force majuere, which includes snow, but must still ensure that children for whom parents cannot arrange alternative care are still looked after at school or elsewhere.
Childcare must remain open, a spokesperson for the Childcare Sector Organization (BK) told the broadcaster. If that is truly impossible, childcare organizations must communicate this clearly and promptly to parents, per location and day. And parents are always entitled to compensation in the event of closures.
